The Entity
by Amber Krueger
Summary: A Nightmare on Elm Street is just a film series, a franchise which Beth Ferguson is a huge fan of. However, what happens when her obsession gives Freddy life? It is Freddy, isn't it? Based off Wes Craven's New Nightmare concept of an ancient entity taking the form of Freddy Krueger. Rated M for future chapters.
1. Obsession

Chapter I

_Obsession_

"I don't know why you're so obsessed with those movies, Beth." Leanne commented quietly in regard to the pencil drawing Beth was working on. Though the professor carried on with her lecture, Beth wouldn't have been able to repeat a single word her teacher had spoken-she was far too into drawing to pay attention to a petty lecture.

"Beth? Are you with us?" Professor Quinn's voice broke through the barrier of Beth's thoughts; hearing her name caught her attention.

"Hm? Oh, yeah, sorry professor." Beth slid the drawing under her textbook and began to chew on her pencil as the professor picked up from where she had left off. Leanne turned to sneer at Beth, and Beth could hear her friend Michael snickering behind her.

"Pay attention." Michael whispered mockingly. Beth rolled her eyes.

_I don't need to pay attention, I'm already getting a fucking A in this class as it is. _Beth thought, huffing in defeat as she rested her chin onto her textbook, and gazed mindlessly at their pacing professor. College is such a drag.

"I'll see you guys later!" Beth waved to her classmates, Leanne and Michael, as they walked in opposite directions through the parking lot.

Beth made her way to her car, the silver and black 1988 Cadillac deVille that she'd been working on since before Christmas of last year. Hopping into the driver's seat, she turned on the car, switched on the lights, and turned the radio on with the volume at full blast. The heavy metal coming from her custom speakers pulsed throughout the car, and the bass throbbed from the subwoofers like an erratic heartbeat as she shifted gears and raced out of the parking lot. It didn't take long for her to get home, Beth never paid any mind to the speed limit signs that adorned the highways in Ohio. She came to a full stop after pulling a sharp turn into the driveway of her parent's house, with whom she still lived. Opening the garage, she snatched her backpack from the back seat, and made her way inside. She was pooped, to say the least. The idea of laying down even in her jeans and t-shirt sounded like an offer too good to pass up. Greeting her mom and dad briefly, Beth made her way into her bedroom, and flopped onto the bed after shutting the door behind her.

With a long sigh, her eyes began to close. The blankets were just washed, and still warm from the drier. After laying there for around ten minutes, she realized she had an assignment due the next day for English class—one of which she had yet to start. Cursing, Beth sat up and rubbed her head. "I just want to sleep," she whined as she slid from the bed. She stripped of her clothes, and rummaged through her dresser for a baggy t-shirt, and a pair of boxers. Once she dressed, she drug her feet on her way out of her room. This was the story of Beth's life—she was busier than anyone she knew. She worked part time, and attended night classes in college, and not to mention the endless holidays and events that brought on repetitive family reunions, which she was expected to attend. She never had any time to herself, much less to sleep. As Beth stepped toward the living room, she realized that her surroundings had made a sudden change. She was taken aback by the sound of steam hissing, and the overall murky atmosphere that replaced the quiet of her house. It took a second for it to actually register in her mind, but when she realized where she in fact was, her heart skipped a beat.

"Holy shit." Beth's voice trailed off. She examined every bit of the boiler room within sight, and then she heard that familiar laughter. Her heart sank into the pit of her stomach, and her breath caught in her throat. The laughter sounded far away, and right at her ear all at once. "I can't believe it... I must still be asleep..." She murmured, gawking at her new surroundings in disbelief. "I haven't had a vivid dream like this in years... if I've even had a dream so vivid..." Beth carefully padded her way to a nearby catwalk. She gently grazed her hand along the railing as she studied every hissing pipe, every roaring furnace, and every shadow—even the one that seemed to quickly move out of sight. The laughter grew louder, closer, more focused in one spot now—behind her. Beth pivoted to face the figure that now stood before her. His right hand reached out at his side, fingers extended apart, elongated by four gleaming blades. His sinister laughter shrunk into a malicious chuckle that drove chills up Beth's spine. She took a step forward to get a better look at him; normally dreams were not this detailed.

She could see every scar that decorated his face, every bit of burnt flesh that told a story in itself as to who he was: Freddy Krueger. The man that she so determinedly drew during class, the dream stalker that she obsessed over from sequel to sequel.

"Freddy?" Beth whispered timidly, examining him closely. He smirked, and with his left hand removed the tattered fedora hat from his head, gesturing in a quick bow.

"In the flesh." Freddy said with mirth brimming in his voice.

"Is this dream real? Like... in the movies? Are you really here?" She asked with nothing but hope, and sincerity in her tone. That's all she could have ever wanted, for Freddy to be real. She didn't care that he was a serial killer, she didn't care if she was in any potential danger—all she cared about was that moment, as he stood before her. Freddy flexed his gloved hand, and snickered ominously. Beth felt that she should have been intimidated by this, however, she was so used to the idea of Freddy that it didn't bother her like it would have one of the characters in the movies.

"I'm as real as you allow me to be," Freddy started. He began to circle her as a predator would its prey; sizing her up. "You've given me strength, made me strong enough to gain access to the dream world."

Beth eyed him curiously, confusion building in her expression as her gaze followed his every move. "How?" She asked. Freddy's chuckle dripped with venom. He stepped closer to her, and inhaled her scent from the nape of her neck before continuing to move around her. Goosebumps prickled to the surface of Beth's skin, her hair standing on end now as his hot breath brushed against her.

"Your desperation—your _need _for me has brought me here. I've been feeding off your life force, your _soul_, because you let me in." It was just as he finished his sentence, with a hiss, he closed in on her. His gloved hand rested atop her shoulder, his left hand gripping her waist as he pressed himself against her back. Freddy breathed along the curve between her neck and shoulder, a low laughter erupting from deep within his throat. "And now... you're mine to do with as I please." He whispered, almost seductively into her ear.

Beth shuddered, her breath catching in her throat, and her body tensing against his touch. Quickly, Freddy spun Beth around so that she would face him. He grasped her shoulders with both hands, the tips of his blades grazing her back with a gentle threat.

"Understand, _bitch_?" His lips curled up into a iniquitous smile, baring his rotting teeth and rancid gums.


	2. The Reality

Author Note: This chapter contains gore, and language.

Chapter II

_The Reality_

_In the corner of my mind, where he sits and waits for me... there's a wall of confusion building, and the sky begins to bleed on me, don't fall asleep to dream. - The Goo Goo Dolls, "I'm Awake Now"_

Beth awoke with a start, her heart fluttering erratically against the confines of her chest. She took deep breaths and flopped backward into her pillows, her gaze adjusting as it fixed on the ceiling. "Oh my _God_." She said with a groggy voice. Her eyes shifted toward her iHome on the nightstand adjacent to the bed, it read five minutes prior to her set alarm time. With a sigh, Beth turned off her alarm before giving it the chance to go off, and slipped out of bed. She had work in an hour, which meant she only had about forty minutes to get ready, and find herself something to eat. It wasn't until Beth made her way to the bathroom that she realized she slept through the night without even so much as starting her English assignment, which was due the present day.

"Fuck." Her palm met her forehead with a smack. "Fuck, fuck, fuck." She repeated. "I've never turned in a paper late before... how could I have fallen asleep? _Fuck_." Beth paced the bathroom, shoving her toothbrush into her mouth; she began to scrub furiously. "Thanks a lot, Freddy. Now I'm probably going to lose points on my grade." She growled with a mouthful of sudsy toothpaste.

Once Beth had finished in the bathroom, she quickly donned her work uniform, equipped herself with her wallet, cellphone, and car key before rushing out the door. She'd forgotten to grab something to eat before she left, so on her way to work she decided to stop and pick something up at the mini-mart around the corner. Beth bought an energy drink, a pack of cigarettes, and a generously sized banana, which she tossed into the passengers seat.

Exceeding the speed limit by a good twenty miles per hour to make up for stopping, Beth made it to work in good time—with approximately fifteen minutes to spare. Parking, she opened the window, lit a cigarette, and popped open her drink.

"I'm screwed." She sighed, leaning back against the headrest as a cloud of smoke curled from her lips, sweeping out the window. "May as well make light of the situation, there's nothing I can do about it now. Hopefully teach will go easy on me."

After about five minutes, Beth headed inside. Freight had already been scanned and put up, and there weren't any tasks on the backroom table for her to do. She shrugged. Maybe if she was lucky, she hoped, it would be a slow day and she would get sent home early. That way, she could give a sorry attempt in trying to do up her homework before class.

"Hey guys." Beth muttered, passing by the front counter on her way to the break room, where she would set her drink and banana. Her coworkers acted as though they hadn't heard her—Beth didn't find that weird at all, however. She had about five minutes to clock in, so she made her way back up to the front counter, where her boss and assistant manager stood. "Y'all are quiet this morning..." She cocked her head to the side, raising an eyebrow. Bob and Carlos, standing next to each other and facing the counter, stared aimlessly into the dim void of the store. "Are we playing the quiet game today?" Beth typed in her ID and password into the computer to sign in. They had yet to answer her, much less move.

"_Hello?_" Beth finally waved her hands in front of their faces, only to gain no reaction. It wasn't until she went to shove Carlos, her assistant manager, when she lost all the color in her face. In four diagonally cut pieces, Carlos collapsed into a gory mess onto the floor. During this process, he had knocked into Bob, which very similarly separated into a bloody heap next to him. Beth took a step back, unsure of how to react.

She cupped her hands over her slack-jawed mouth, and tried to regain her ability to inhale. The sight before her was something akin to a scene out of a horror film. The organs of her two superiors were splayed about the floor, encircling the spliced bodies in two conjoined pools of blood.

The lights began to flicker, and the sound of electrical hissing coursed through the wiring in the walls. Beth pressed her back against the counter, not taking her bugging eyes off the two mutilated bodies of her coworkers. Her heart began to pound thunderously, the sound drumming in her ears. However, before long the sound of her own heartbeat would be interrupted by a callous chuckle coming from behind her. Beth jumped and twirled around to see Freddy leaning on the other side of the counter, tapping his blades, his left hand nestled under his chin as he watched her with a smirk.

"Thought you were awake, huh?" He grinned heinously. There was an immediate sense of relief that washed over her. "Thank God..." Beth finally exhaled, slumping forward, running her fingers through her thick black hair.

"Oh, this is nothing, really." Freddy laughed, hopping over the counter, and kicking the head of her boss like a soccer ball. He began to laugh hysterically when the head rolled down one of the aisles, knocking into a display which tumbled over by the impact. Beth rolled her eyes.

"So, what was the point of this scenario then?" Beth was firmly convinced that her dream was just that, a dream. It may have been far more vivid than what she was used to, however, there was nothing out of the ordinary going on here. Gore was definitely not a stranger to her dream world—especially when it involved people she knew personally.

"I sense a little skepticism in your tone!" Freddy gestured with his blade-wielding hand, leaning toward Beth with a smirk quirking at the corner of his scarred mouth.

"Don't get me wrong, Freddy, it's nice to have a dream about you for once, but... that's all this is, a dream." Beth folded her arms. "What could you be trying to prove by killing my boss and manager?" She sneered. Freddy straightened up, licking his lips lecherously.

"Don't you wish it were more?" He moved to take hold of her hand and pull it toward him. "Don't you believe in me?" Freddy then flexed out his index-blade, slowly bringing it to her arm. Beth initially flinched, but with Freddy gripping onto her so tightly, there was no moving. She watched him with vague fascination as he began to press the blade into her skin. Beth bit her lip, her brow furrowing as pain began to spread throughout her forearm. "Don't... you?" He dug deeper, watching as blood began to prickle around his blade, little droplets curdling into a line that soon trickled from her arm. Beth whimpered quietly, gazing at the carmine liquid; the color was all too brilliant—everything was in high definition now.

"There's no way this is real... it's not possible." She said through clenched teeth. Freddy laughed again, removing the blade before swiping another cut onto her arm. This time it was fast and made Beth yelp. "That hurts!" She shouted at him, her face crumpled into a pained grimace. With Beth's reaction, Freddy's laughter grew louder as if she were encouraging him.

"It _does_?" Freddy's tone oozed with sarcasm, slashing two more cuts into her arm, leaving four glistening flesh wounds in the wake of his blades. The blood quickly dried, coagulating in gruesome lumps along the cuts.

"Tell me," he took advantage of their proximity and yanked her to him by her waist. "Does the pain feel real enough to you?" He said lowly, his voice almost a demonic purr against the shell of her ear.

Beth's eyes shot open. Her arm was throbbing with a searing pain. She weakly withdrew her arm from beneath the covers, and with blurred vision studied the four fresh cuts that embellished her flesh. She inhaled sharply through her teeth, blinking away the sleepiness from her eyes as she slowly sat up in bed. This time she was sure she was awake. A quick glance at her iHome clock revealed that it was still the day before her English assignment was due—just a few hours later from when she had fallen asleep. Beth trudged to the bathroom, elevating her arm to keep it from pulsing. She brought it to the sink and let cool water run over the cuts. It stung at first, but not after long the cold water became soothing. She glanced up in the mirror at her ragged reflection, "he really is real."


	3. Hell

Author Note: This chapter gets _very _dark, and contains strong language, and some violence.

Chapter III

_Hell_

_With hell in my eyes and death in my veins, the end is closing in... feeding on the minds of man, and from their souls within. – Metallica, "Jump in the Fire"_

It was nearing two in the morning, and Beth curled up in bed with her laptop, fingers dancing along the keyboard as she finished up her assignment. She glanced at the clock and sighed regretfully; the fact that she wasn't going to get much sleep before she had to leave for work irked her. She took a moment to examine the wounds on her arm, wondering why she decided to go on with finishing her homework when she had a much more important event going on in her life now. Of course, if she were like any other normal person on planet Earth, she'd probably be frantic by the mere idea of Freddy Krueger actually existing. However, Beth wasn't anywhere near normal. She was lucky to have the friends in college that she had—they were the people who hadn't judged her, the people who accepted her for who she was.

Once Beth looked over her homework and edited the rough draft to her liking, she printed it out and shut her laptop. She actually hesitated going to sleep—it was already going to be a pain in the ass finding an explanation for the cuts on her arm. 4 AM came quickly, and Beth heard her father getting up and ready for work. She decided to turn out her light and try to get some sleep so she could at least function during her shift. This time, when she fell asleep, she didn't dream. It seemed as though it had been only five minutes between the time she closed her eyes, and when her alarm went off. Before repeating her morning routine, Beth decided to wrap up her arm in some gauze that she found in the medicine cabinet. She left the house, and made no mistake in speeding on her way to work.

"Hey Ben," Beth greeted a tall, kind of chunky guy around her age. She took a long swig from her energy drink, and then a look at the time—she still had ten minutes before she had to clock in.

"Smoke break?" Ben gestured toward the pack of menthol cigarettes in her breast pocket. Beth nodded with a smirk, heading for the back door; Ben followed behind. Ever since Ben "quit" smoking, he'd been bumming them off of Beth. Beth didn't mind, though. She liked having someone to go outside and chat with while she smoked. As Beth lit hers, she passed a cigarette to Ben as he propped himself up against the back door in front of her.

"What happened to your arm?" Ben gestured toward Beth's bandages. Blood had already seeped through the gauze in the shape of the cuts, defeating the purpose of Beth's attempts in hiding it.

"Oh... uh... kitchen accident." Beth's response wasn't as believable as she had liked it to be, but it was good enough an explanation for the time being. Ben shrugged it off and went on to change the subject.

"You better be on your P's and Q's today." Ben said as he lit his cigarette. "How come? Roger coming?" Beth asked.

"Yeah—Bob and Carlos haven't shown up, and they were supposed to open. Luckily I hadn't forgotten my keys this morning, because nobody was here when I got here. I tried calling them but neither have answered." Beth took a deep drag from her cigarette and eyed Ben with curiosity.

"That's weird..." She said, her gaze resting on the ground while concern brimmed in her expression.

The day was relatively slow—which Beth was thankful for since her district manager had been breathing down her neck during the majority of her shift. She was ready to leave, to go to class, and then head home for a weekend of leisure. However, the latter was an unlikely fantasy she could have only wished to pursue.

"Come _on _five o' clock... can't you come any faster?" Beth muttered, glaring at the clock on her cell phone. She slipped her phone back into her pocket and sighed heavily. She still had twenty minutes to go. "Ben?" Beth poked Ben on the shoulder and smiled widely. Ben rolled his eyes.

"What time are you scheduled to leave?" He asked, already knowing what she was going to ask.

"Five... but we're dead and it's almost five anyway... so... I'll give you a cigarette if you let me go." Ben huffed in tenuous irritation.

"Fine. Hurry up before I change my mind." Beth didn't think twice—she quickly made her way to the computer, signed out, gathered her things, and headed out the door.

When Beth got into her car, she turned the stereo down and hurried out of the parking lot. She wasn't in the mood for loud music right then—her head was hurting from the lack of sleep, and she hadn't eaten anything for lunch. She was grateful that she had been let off early, now she was able to stop somewhere on the way to class and get something to eat. With a Burger King bag in hand, Beth made her way up the campus sidewalk. It was as if the straw from her soda was attached to her lips; she walked the entire way to class without it breaking contact from her mouth. Inching her way into the classroom, ten minutes early, Beth found her seat and quietly nodded a greeting to her classmates. She took out a burger, and set it on her desk before crumpling up the empty paper bag and tossing it into the trashcan by the door. As she slung her backpack over the back of her chair their professor walked in, hauling a large black duffel bag.

Professor Williams was a scraggly woman—very disorganized and commonly late to class. Beth recalls her first impression of Professor Williams: she had misspelled "composition" on the dry erase board, and never bothered to fix it. That was when she knew that that class was going to be nothing more than an easy A.

The professor set down the duffel bag and withdrew a horn of plenty of papers that she set in a disheveled pile onto her desk. Beth eyed that pile of papers with anticipation, hoping that somewhere in the midst of them were the graded assignments from the week prior—she was practically dying to know what she got for the essay she had turned in last class.

"Good afternoon, class." Professor Williams' voice broke through the scattered chatter throughout the classroom. Everyone quieted down and greeted her back except for Beth. She wasn't too entirely thrilled to be there in the first place; she would have much preferred to be home.

"What is up my home slice?" Michael's upbeat voice sounded behind Beth. She turned to face him, grinning. "Nothing but the usual. Hell, hate, and discontent—y'know." Beth smiled briefly.

"Don't sound so cheery, _Bethany_." Michael popped her on the shoulder. Beth shot him a glare.

"_It's Elizabeth_." She snarled, cocking her head to the side. Michael giggled playfully. "Just joshin' you, calm yourself lady." He whispered—though Michael's whispers were louder than they should have been, causing Professor Williams glare at them both.

Beth turned back round in her seat, resting her chin on her arm as she gazed up toward the professor. She had suddenly lost her appetite, not bothering with her burger now. Not long after Professor Williams began her lecture, her voice began to sound like arid elevator muzak in the background, while Beth ventured into deep thought about the dreams she'd had the night before. This wasn't unusual, however; it had become a habit of Beth's to avoid paying attention in class.

"_Miss _Ferguson," Professor Williams voice reached an unusual pitch that promptly brought Beth back to reality.

"Is it really that hard for you to pay attention in my class? Do I need to take action to enforce the importance of what you will learn here? Or will it ever be of any importance to you?" Williams growled, her voice beginning to sound distorted with the dictation of each word.

Beth began to stammer. "I'm sorry professor... I just didn't get a lot of sleep last night..." She trailed off when she realized that all of her classmates had seemed to disappear. She was the only one left in the classroom now.

"Excuses, excuses..." Professor Williams paced around her desk, tracing the metal edge of a ruler along the dry erase board, making an annoying screeching sound. "Do you know what kind of punishment follows such _pathetic _excuses like yours, Miss Ferguson?" Williams' eyes appeared to sink into their sockets, and when Beth stared into them, they seemed to blacken until they resembled void pits.

"I... I'm s-sorry..." Beth sat up straight. The longer she stared into the eyes of her teacher, the faster her heart began to pound. It was as if time ceased to exist—every second felt like hours; Beth couldn't tell how long she had been sitting there before the lights abruptly began to flicker. After what felt like ages, the flickering stopped and Professor Williams was gone. Beth's head whipped around as she frantically studied the room, her breath hitching in her throat. "Professor Williams?" She called out timidly.

"Sorry just don't _cut it_ kiddo!" Freddy's guttural voice drilled into Beth's ear, his hands gripping her shoulders, blades sinking gently into the fabric of her top. Beth jerked away from him, practically falling out of her seat.

"Jesus fucking _Christ!_" She shouted, backing toward the wall. "I don't remember falling asleep..."

Freddy sneered, now sitting at Professor Williams' desk, feet kicked up with an apple in hand. He began carving the skin of the apple, his teeth showing with a dark grin.

"If that don't look familiar," Beth rolled her eyes, plopping down in one of the desks closer to the front. "Let me guess, _learning is fun with Freddy?_" She laughed.

Freddy replied with his own hushed laughter, blue eyes darting up to rest their gaze upon her. "Oh, trust me, piglet..." He brought his feet down from the surface of the desk, and leaned forward on his elbows. "The shit I'm gonna teach you ain't gonna be so fun..." He got up then, strutted toward her slowly before flicking a blade underneath her chin. He lifted her head up to face him slowly. "_For you_."

Suddenly the room went dark—totally black, even. Beth's eyes refused to adjust to the darkness, it was as if the darkness was nothingness, as if she were sitting in a gorge of naught. She could hear Freddy's maniacal laughter echo throughout the chasm of blackness.

"I'm getting stronger." His voice was low, inhuman. "Thanks to you, bitch." The calm in his tone drove icy chills up Beth's spine. "I bet you think this is some kind of little girl's fantasy come true for you, huh?" Freddy's voice was all around her, circling her, closing in on her. Beth could feel the intensity of his presence enclose around her very person; it wasn't a pleasant experience. She felt constricted, as if a snake had wrapped itself around her, squeezing the breath right out of her.

"_You think I'm gonna fuck you, call you Freddy's dirty little whore," _he hissed maliciously. His words stung—he was digging deep into her mind and playing metaphorical JENGA with her emotions. "_You don't realize what you've gotten yourself into, bitch._" Freddy growled, his voice becoming more and more demonic as he spoke.

Suddenly, his face was right in front of hers, their noses almost touching. His teeth were sharp now, bloodstained and decaying. "This ain't fuckin' Twilight, bitch!" And with that, Beth felt a heavy blow knock her down. The sting of cold metal clung to her face; he had back handed her with his gloved hand, and knocked her face down. Beth shrieked, tears welling in her eyes. She didn't know what to say, she couldn't describe the amount of shame that consumed her at that very moment. She felt stupid, horribly stupid. Why had she loved Freddy so much? He wasn't real before, she could have molded him into whatever she wanted. In her mind, she was the exception, but in reality there was no exception. Freddy Krueger was a heartless, soulless serial killer in life, and in death a murderous demon with a blood lust like no other. He didn't care about anyone. Freddy was hellbent on revenge, on killing, on devouring the souls of his victims.

"_Remember when you were a little girl, Elizabeth?_" Freddy purred mockingly into her ear, though he was out of sight again. "_Remember the dreams you used to have about me? How I pro-tec-ted you?_" She could hear the vicious smile in his voice—he was getting off on this. Beth curled into the fetal position, tucking her head between her elbows to try and deafen herself from the sound of his hateful voice.

"_That wasn't me, you stupid little cunt._"

Beth screamed as she felt Freddy's jagged razor claws dig into her side, and trace the length of her ribcage.

"_You want to get to know me, bitch? Hm?_" Now Freddy was hovering over her, his lips at her ear, his hot breath caressing her pebbled skin. "_Let me give you a taste of hell_."


End file.
